Lighting Moment 4 (LizB)

The early morning sunlight, brilliant and golden, filters in through the dusty screens behind the window pane. Outside the grass is shiny and slick with dew. The tree before my window sheds orange-red leaves and casts a long, thin shadow on the ground.
-----------
Thoughts on Thursday’s 160 class with light:
Although I have obviously danced in the theatre before with light, it was still interesting to enter the space and experience the different qualities of light again. Dancing for a full hour in the lit space allowed me to investigate how the light influenced my perceptions of where I was in the space. I was particularly fascinated by the “migrations” of people that took place at various points in the dance. For instance, at one point the majority of the dancers were crowded onto the more dimly lit side of the stage. It was also good to examine my own prejudices. I found the downstage line bordering the audience to evoke strong emotion in me; it feels more intimate because the audience is so close. On the other hand, the far upstage made me focus more on shape and the overall architecture of the space. In regard to my own choreographic process and my interest in different textures, I wonder how the actual “feel” of the light on my dancers’ skin will influence their performance of the movement. Also, from the outside I was interested when Jenn pointed out how in some instances a performer may not feel well-lit, but may in fact be highly visible to the audience.